SNMP is very simple, yet powerful. It has the ability to help you manage your network by:
=> Provide Read/Write abilities – for example you could use it to reset passwords remotely, or re-configure IP addresses.
=> Collect information on how much bandwidth is being used.
=> Collect error reports into a log, useful for troubleshooting and identifying trends.
=> Email an alert when your server is low on disk space.
=> Monitor your servers’ CPU and Memory use, alert when thresholds are exceeded.
=> Page or send an SMS text-message when a device fails.
=> Can perform active polling, i.e. Monitoring station asks devices for status every few minutes.
=> Passive SNMP – devices can send alerts to a monitoring station on error conditions.
Ports and Firewalls
SNMP uses UDP as the transport protocol. If management traffic will traverse firewalls, make sure that the following default ports are open:
UDP 161: Used when management stations communicate with agents, e.g. Polling
UDP 162: Used when agents send unsolicited Traps to the management station
